OVERDUE: Weeding Out Oppression in Libraries OLA EDI & Antiracism Committee

In this episode, Immer Honorato, Library Outreach Specialist at the Tualatin Public Library, talks with us about connecting his library with his community in Tualatin, Oregon. As an immigrant of Mexico who grew up in Tualatin, Immer brings an important bilingual and bicultural perspective to bridging the gap between library services and a library’s community. He reminds us that there are steps that all of us can take to improve accessibility, a sense of belonging, and relevancy in ...

Multitalented Aaron Whitefield joins the hosts and shares insight gained from leading successful multicultural academic programs during the decade he spent working as an educator, library professional and youth development specialist in Columbus, Ohio.Aaron’s passion for uplifting youth and creating community is apparent, even while navigating systemic issues like sexism, classism, and racism. Those interested in better understanding the “unique experiences, challenges, and triumphs of living...

In this episode, Dr. Raymond (Ray) Pun (academic and research librarian at the Alder Graduate School of Education) shares insights on effective library advocacy through collaboration and community building, advice for aspiring librarians of color, and the value of involvement in the American Library Association and committee work. We hear about Ray's career transition from public to academic libraries, delve into the intersection of social justice and intellectual freedom (Ray introduces us t...

In this episode, we hear from Ayn Reyes Frazee and Mai Takahashi, co-chairs of the newly formed EDI Committee of ALSC (Association of Library Services to Children, a division of ALA). Frazee, who serves as current president of the Oregon Association of School Libraries, is a high school librarian in Portland and was a 2019 ALSC Equity and Diversity Fellow. Takahashi is a youth services librarian at the Seattle Public Library, working closely with Seattle’s Indigenous community and with local ...

We are joined in this episode by Nichelle M. Hayes, MPA, MLS, founding director of the Center for Black Literature & Culture, and former CEO (Interim) of the Indianapolis Public Library, and current President of the Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA). Hayes shares her background in human resources with us as she discusses ways that HR departments can help library organizations become more inclusive, diverse, and supportive of BIPOC library staff. She brings conc...

In this episode, we have the absolute honor of speaking with Jamia Williams (Consumer Health Program Specialist with the Network of the National Library of Medicine(NNLM) Training Office) and Jamillah Gabriel (Critical Pedagogy Research Librarian in the Graduate School of Education at Harvard University and a PhD student in the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign). Before Overdue: Weeding out Oppression in Libraries started, Jamia and Jamillah st...